Best parks and wilderness areas in California

By Hugo Martín Coming up with a list of California's ultimate parks and wild places is like being asked to choose your favorite family member. Each one is special in his own way, even that annoying brother who still owes you $100. How can you pick? With so many criteria to choose from, I settled on an unscientific measure I call the "wow factor." On my assignments covering the outdoors, here are places that stopped me in my tracks, left me dumbfounded and had me fumbling for my camera. I have visited only a tiny fraction of the nation's third-largest state, so I'm sure I missed many other "wow" places. Send your nominees to tellus@latimes.com.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park California's north-central coast is lush with redwoods, ferns and coastal live oaks, a heavenly stretch of shoreline that is home to great Big Sur and Point Lobos parks. But Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park has a serene and rugged feel that sets it apart from other nearby enclaves. These 3,580 acres are in a redwood canyon that rises from the beach to about 1,500 feet. The cherry on top of this visual feast is the 80-foot McWay Waterfall, which crashes from a rocky cliff onto the sand in a wonderful, secluded cove. It's an iconic scene no one should miss. The park is 37 miles south of Carmel along California 1. Info: (831) 667-2315, www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=578.